What Are Good Online Dating Profile Photo Tips For Men?
The best online dating profile photo tips for men include adding a few full-body shots, ditch the selfies, absolutely no women, and smile to name a few. Your profile photos are critical if you want women to swipe right or respond to your messages, which means you must use the best pictures possible.
How critical are your photos? 48% of women pick a date based on looks according to a study by University College London, so make them count.
You must make a favorable impression with women. What are the photos you should use? Here are 10 of the best dating profile photo tips for guys that help maximize your success on any dating app.
1. Use Current Photos
Look at yourself in a mirror. Then look at your dating profile photos. If you don't look like your photos, it's time to take new pictures.
If you show up to a date 20 pounds heavier or 5 years older than your profile photos, the date will be over before it started. Don't think you can change a woman's mind; you've already lied to her about your appearance, and this gets her thinking, "what else is he lying about?"
Would you be upset if a woman showed up to a first date looking nothing like her pictures? Of course, you would. So, you should expect a woman to react similarly.
A good rule of thumb is updating your profile with new photos at least once a month. Swap out a few pictures because a new picture may capture the eye of a woman who overlooked you in the past.
Also, keep your photos in line with the current time of the year. If it's summer, you shouldn't use photos of yourself snowboarding or at some Halloween party.
2. Ditch The Selfies
#1 Dating Profile Tip: Avoid selfies.
Avoid selfies on your dating profile at all costs. A Zoosk survey found that men who use selfies receive almost 10% fewer messages from women.
You shouldn't use selfies, especially pictures taken in front of a mirror. Photos taken in front of a mirror is a huge blunder. One survey by Match.com found "29% of women indicated that a photo taken in a mirror with a smartphone was the biggest reason they’d click away from a guy’s profile."
And when it comes to shirtless selfies; well you're digging your own grave. The same Match.com poll found 33% of women found shirtless photos taken in front of a mirror were a complete turn-off.
This could possibly be the worst profile photo ever: it's taken in a public restroom with urinals and a trash can visible.
Come on, your first impression to women viewing your dating profile will be a photo of you in the bathroom. Is that what you really want? Can you say "tacky"?
And please, no more car selfies. Car selfies are so common they are going to overtake the bathroom selfie soon.
Grab a friend and have them take a photo. Family members can also help take pictures when needed. Hell, ask a stranger if you have to.
I've gone on hikes and had no problem asking strangers to take a quick picture of me. Then I offer to take theirs, and they always oblige.
The bonus of using photos that aren't selfies is it shows women you have friends because someone must have taken the picture. It shows you are at least sociable and aren't a loner.
3. Don't Hide Your Face
Don't hide any part of your face in your photos. This means:
- No sunglasses
- No hats
- No Snapchat filters
- No bandannas
Photofeeler, which analyzes profile photos, found hiding your eyes, using sunglasses, for example, "can significantly harm your impression." The site discovered your likability drops when people see you in sunglasses.
Avoid hiding your face in your profile pictures.
You must show women your whole face, or it looks like you're hiding something. You may think you're "playing it cool," with glasses or Snapchat filters, but the reality is it hurts your first impression with women.
4. The More Profile Photos You Use, The Better
You want a diverse dating profile portfolio with a lot of photos. One or two pictures on your dating profile are NOT enough; you need more and studies back this up.
Users on Plentyoffish with at least 10 images on their profile receive eight times more messages. And according to eHarmony, people who have FOUR or more photos on their profile had the most success getting people to initiate conversations online.
A diverse profile portfolio is your chance to share your passions, interests, and hobbies. Include photos of yourself doing different activities.
Having several photos on your profile will pique a woman's interest. You don't just sit at home, do you? Get out there and start taking pics so you can add them to your profile.
5. You Are In All Of Your Profile Photos
Although this is a pretty picture; it should never be in your profile photos.
I can't believe I have to tell men this, but one of the top dating profile photo tips is never to use pictures where you aren't physically in them. No woman is going to swipe right because of a photo like the one above; be sure you're in all your profile photos!
Your dating profile photos need to have you in them. Do not use pictures of only your pets, your car, your motorcycle, a sunset, a lake, a mountain. Get it?
Do you think a picture of your dog makes you more attractive to women? No. It doesn’t.
A study by Zoosk found people who have pictures of their pets on their profile reduce their popularity by over 50%. Here's an example of a bad pet photo because it's just the dog.
Never use photos of just your pet on your dating profile.
The photo below is the only acceptable pet photo because it included the owner and the dog. You only need one photo like this.
The only acceptable pet photo for your dating profile is where both of you are in the picture.
It's simple. The best dating profile photos are the ones with YOU in them doing things you enjoy. Photos of your possessions or objects by themselves are a terrible choice.
No woman is going to swipe right because of a photo like this; be sure you're in all your profile photos!
Photos like this are a terrible choice for a dating profile.
6. No WOMEN In Your Profile Photos
Never have women in your dating profile photos. Ever. Don't crop out women either. It looks like you are hiding something when you crop people out of your photos.
Hinge found "standing with a member of the opposite sex is one of the worst things you can do. Even if the person is just a friend or family member, if it looks like it could be a significant other, your likes decrease by 98 percent."
98% is significant. Women checking out your dating profile don't need to see you with another woman.
Women want to picture themselves alongside you. When you include pictures on your profile with a woman in them, you only distract women viewing your photo. They think you're a player or wonder "who is this girl next to him?"
When it comes to having photos of yourself with women, Coffee Meets Bagel put it best; "Do you bring sand to the beach?" The point being, why include photos of women in your profile? It’s not necessary.
Absolutely no women in your photos.
7. Do Something Interesting and Fun!
Add photos of yourself engaging in fun activities. Do you paint in your free time? Great, add a photo. Play an instrument? Perfect, add a photo of yourself with it. Even photos of yourself making a meal can help.
People who have pictures of themselves doing something interesting have a 40% higher chance of receiving more messages, according to a study by OkCupid.
Hitting up a farmers market, stand up paddle boarding, wine tasting, riding an elephant on vacation, playing a board game with your friends; the possibilities are endless. Anything is better than a car selfie.
If you don't have any photos of yourself having fun, it's time to take action and add photos of yourself doing fun things - even a photo of you while hiking will help your results.
Do something interesting in your photos to grab women's attention.
Women find men who play guitars attractive on dating apps.
8. Include Full-Body Shots
You must include at least one full-body photo; meaning from head to toe. If you only show your face, it looks like your hiding something.
Adding full-body pictures to a dating profile boosts results. Zoosk found using a full-body picture results in a 203% increase in emails received. Women want to see full-body photos, so be sure to add a few.
Full body pictures can boost your response rate from women.
9. One Group Photo is Mandatory
I know it's a cliche, but it's critical you add a picture to your profile with you alongside friends. It acts as social proof that you must be OK because you have friends and aren't some loner.
One study found that you are perceived as better looking when using a group photo. The reason women find you better looking could be because you are seen as more sociable, which makes you more desirable in a woman's eyes.
Adding a photo with friends shows you're sociable and friendly.
10. Show Your Smile!
One of the most essential dating profile photo tips is smiling in your photos. The first thing women look at in your photos is your smile. Match.com found 71% of women judge a man by his teeth, so flash those choppers.
Always smile in your dating profile pictures.
Photofeeler found "by far the most impactful characteristic" they discovered in a study of photos "is a particular kind of smile." The type of smile they recommend is showing teeth.
This means no closed mouth smiles or grins. When you show your teeth in your dating profile photo, you appear more competent, influential, and likable
Smiling makes you more attractive in the eyes of women viewing your photo.
Smiling shows you're open and friendly. Women cannot resist a man with a great smile. Smile in your dating profile pictures because you may get messages from women like the one below.
A great smile may result in a message like this.
Final Thoughts
You must use great photos so you can make a memorable first impression with women who view your profile. Follow these simple dating profile photo tips, and your bio will stand out:
- Use Current Photos
- Ditch The Selfies
- Don't Hide Your Face
- The More Profile Photos You Use, The Better
- You Are In All Of Your Profile Photos
- No WOMEN In Your Profile Photos
- Do Something Interesting and Fun!
- Include Full-Body Shots
- One Group Photo is Mandatory
- Show Your Smile!